Directing Therapeutics to Targets
by Precise Control of Magnetic Fields
Students: Skye Kim, Arash Komaee, John Lin, Alek Nacev, Roland Probst
Collaborators: O.Bruno, D.Diver, K.Dormer, M.Emmert-Buck, A.Lubbe, H.Potts, I.Rutel...
In magnetic drug delivery, magnetic nano-particles can be influenced by externally applied magnetic fields to physically direct therapeutics to disease locations: to tumors, infections, blood clots, and other disease locations. Rapid advanced in magnetic carrier fabrication, functionalization (which allows magnetic targeting to be combined with chemical and biological targeting, e.g. with antibody binding or cell uptake mechanisms), and carrier bio-compatibility, as well as animal and even human clinical trials, are enabling magnetic drug delivery to be envisioned for a wide array of clinical applications.
Our interest is in design and control of magnetic fields to put the magnetic carriers where they need to go in-vivo. How should magnetic fields be varied in space and time to direct magnetic carriers to needed disease locations?
Feedback control of magnetic fields to focus chemotherapy
coated nano-particles to deep tissue tumors
Shaping magnetic fields in time and space to direct magnetic carriers to targets is a control question, a very complex one that relies on an understanding of magnetic fields, particle transport, and, at least to some limited degree, in-vivo forces on magnetic carriers. Magnetic control has become a major effort for my group and currently includes the following projects.
a: Control of Chemotherapy to Tumors
b: Magnetic Delivery of Drugs to the Inner Ear
c: Ferrofluid Control Experiments
d: Advanced Simulations of Ferrofluid Transport
e: Autopsy Studies
The below slides shows a snap-shot of the many issues that must be considered and the people currently involved in addressing them.
Snapshot of issues for Mag Drug Delivery
